1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a video apparatus, and more particularly to a method for displaying a menu screen of a video apparatus such as a television set.
2. Description of the Background Art
As development of an video technique is progressed, currently, various video apparatuses such as a computer or a television set are gradually coming out of the technique that various menus related to the operation of the video apparatus are selected by keys provided in its main body, and instead, a method for selecting corresponding menus by using a few keys such as a direction key or a selection key with reference to a menu screen displayed in an OSD form is becoming generalized.
Accordingly, in order for users to facilitate the selection for the corresponding menus, it is requisite to develop a technique implementing the menu screen.
Especially, according to the development of a multimedia technique, as for the television set, the most popular video apparatus, the menu screen-related technique facilitating setting various functions as well as sound quality is the most critical factor in improving the competitive power of the product.
FIG. 1 shows a video apparatus in accordance with a conventional art, taking an example as a television set, which includes an antenna, a tuner 100 for selecting a broadcast signal; an audio signal processing unit 200 for processing an audio signal included in the broadcast signal; a speaker 300, a remote controller 400, a remote controller light receiving unit 500, a microcomputer 600 for controlling each element, displaying an operation state, and processing OSD signals for implementing a menu screen; an image signal selection unit 700 for selectively switching the broadcast image signal and the OSD signal outputted from the microcomputer 600; an image signal processing unit 800 for processing the broadcast image signal so as to be displayed on a screen; and a CRT 900.
Displaying the menu screen according to the conventional art constructed as described above will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
First, the broadcast signal received through the antenna is converted to an intermediate frequency for a desired channel through the tuner 100 and then outputted as an image and audio signals.
And, the audio signal is processed by the audio signal processing unit 200 and outputted through the speaker 300.
Meanwhile, the image signal and the OSD signal for displaying the operation state or constructing the menu screen outputted from the microcomputer 600 are selectively switched under the control of the microcomputer 600 and then processed by the image signal processing unit 800, to be outputted to the CRT 900.
The microcomputer 600 receives an operation command through the remote controller light receiving unit 500 as inputted through the remote controller 500 by a user, and applies a control signal to each element, so as to perform the operation command of the user.
Referring to the menu screen of the television set in accordance with the conventional art, as the user pressed down a menu setting key, the microcomputer 600 receiving the corresponding key to thereby recognize the menu setting command of the user.
Subsequently, the image data for constructing the menu screen as pre-set is OSD signal-processed and outputted, and the OSD data is processed by the image selection unit 700 and the image signal processing unit 800, so as to be displayed on the CRT 900 as shown in FIG. 2A.
When the user selects a channel, that is, ‘CH’, of upper menus displayed on the menu screen, corresponding lower menus are also displayed as shown in FIG. 2B.
Here, ‘INPUT’ is a menu for selecting an external image input signal such a TV signal or a VCR signal, ‘AUTO PROG’ is a menu for automatically searching and memorizing a channel having a signal, ‘MANUAL PROG’ is a menu for manually searching and memorizing a channel having a signal, and ‘FAVORITE CH’ is a menu memorizing favorite channels of the user. In this respect, the menu selected by the user may have a different color in order to make difference from other menus.
As described above, as to the menu screen of the video apparatus of the conventional art, the lower menus of the menu selected by the user are additionally displayed or the color of the selected menu is varied, which is, however, not satisfying enough to easily recognize the menu selected by the user or a corresponding menu or a path of the corresponding menu, causing inconvenience for the user in selecting the menus.